The world we live in and the challenges we face are increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. Such challenges that we and our children will face include, but are not limited to, climate change and disruptions caused by technology (e.g., brought by continued development and integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in our daily lives). These problems are often interlinked, and the solution is often education.

Education plays an essential role in bring about significant and meaningful change in societies. Teachers, functioning as catalysts for change, will be central in preparing students to not only over challenges of the future but to excel and thrive. This will involve new pedagogies, strategies, and curricula that provides tiered, coherent learning that provides opportunities for hands-on learning and relevant real-world applications of knowledge and skills.

In applied STEM courses, teachers must find new avenues to integrate and utilise science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in new and different ways, helping to promote a more thorough understanding of their applications. In addition, applied STEM courses promote the development of new skills such as reasoning, logic, and problem solving.